Comb hanger straightening method and device



Allg. 9, 1932. D, s CS1-ROM 1,870,584

COMB HANGER STRAIGHTENING METHOD AND DEVICE Filed Nov. 7, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 9, 1932. D. s. OSTROM 1,870,584

COMB HANGER STRAIGHTENING METHOD AND DEVICE Filed NOV. 7. 1929 2Sheets-Sheet 2 and away Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED .STATES PATENTOFFICE DAVID SAMUEL OSTROI,

MENTS, TO INDUSTRIAL PATENTS PORATION OF DELAWARE 0F KANSAS CITY,KANSAS, ASSIGNOR) BY MESNE ASSIGN- CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACOB- COMB RANGE STHAIGHllllillil'IN(.3r IETHOD AND DEVICE Applicationmea November 7, 1929. serial No. 405,381.

roughly handled. Large quantities thereof are often used in a. singlepacking house. It is necessary to provide means for straightening thebacon hangers so that they will function properly and not injure theproduct. This straightening operation should be performed rapidly and atlow cost. It is the purpose of this invention to provide a machinesuitablevfor such work.

One of the objects of this' invention is to provide a method forstraightening bacon hangers. Another object of the invention is toprovide means for straightening bacon hangers. Other objects will beappa-rent from the descriptions and claims which follow.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the improved machine.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 shows the machine in side elevation.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a. standard form of bacon hanger.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken transversely through the.straightening dies and a bacon hanger in place therein.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The essential elements of this machine consist merely of a pair of diesfor receiving bacon hangers, one of said dies being stationary and theother being movable toward from the stationary one. Power is imparted tothe movable die by a pneumatically or hydraulically operateddoubleacting piston under the control of a supply and relief valve whichis preferably operated by a treadle.

Referring to the drawings, the operating mechanism is mounted upon atable top 1 which supports the stationary die 2 and the movable die 3.The die 2 is clamped to a supporting bar 26 by means of the screws 5,asin Fig. 2 and die 3 is carried by bar 4. The supporting member 4 is.carried by a piston rod 6 and is locked thereto by the nut The `pistonrod 6 isguided by bearings 7 and 8 formed on the cylinder heads 9."Cmpressed air isalternately admitted and released from the opposite endsof the cylinder 10 through valve 11, the details of which are clearlyindicated in Fig. 3. The conduits 12 and 13 lead from the valve toopposite `ends of the cylinder.' Supply conduit is indicated at 14. Thevalve is operated bythe treadle mechanism 15.

The die support 4-is guided during its reciprocating motion by pins 16extending downwardly into the channels 17 formed in the table top 1.

The construction of the bacon hanger, as shown in Fig. 4, is merely athin frame structure 18 provided with the supporting hook 19 and a rowof teeth 20. These teeth are generally just nails welded to the back ofthe hanger. It is the nails thatl generally become bent; therefore, thedies 2 and 3 are formed so as to engage and force the nails intostraightened condition. For this purpose, the dies 2 are provided withvertically extending more or less V-shaped pockets 21 and the opposingdie 3 is provided with wedge-shaped projectors 22 for entering thepockets 21. i

The pockets 21 of the lower or supporting die are separated bytransversely extending wedge-shaped portions. These upstandingwedge-shaped portions may be described as longitudinally spaced andlongitudinally arranged portions that provide longitudinally spaced andlongitudinally arranged pocket sections 21. The lower portions of thepocket sections are defined by a straight, horizontal and longitudinallyextending supporting surface at the top side of the lower guide.

lThe upper die has transversely extending wedge-shaped projectingportions or projectors 22 providing pressing portions that eX- tenddownwardly into-the pocket sections 21 vof the lower die. The lowerprojecting faces of the projectors 22 are located in a straight,horizontal, longitudinally and transversely extending plane andcooperate with the companionl straight, horizontal supporting surfaceportions provided at the bottom of pocket sections 21. The series oflongitudinally spaced and longitudinally arranged pockets 21 provided byand between the series of longitudinally spaced andlongitud1nallyarranged transverse wedge-shaped portions of the lower dieare located atl one sideto wit, at the rear-of the longitudinallyextending medial line of the lower die. Likewise, the series oflongitudinally spaced and longitudinally arranged pressing portions 22are located at one side-to wit, at the rearof the longitudinallyextending medial line 0f the upper die. Each die at the other side ofits medial line--to wit, at the front pressing portion of each die-isprovided with a pressing surface which merges pres'singssurfacf the rearportion of the die into a longitudinally curved contour defining thefront edge of the pressing' portion of each die. It will also beobserved that in the process of straightening the nails or teeth of ahanger thatthef'front vertical and longitudinally/extending face of theback'of the hanger is supported by the rear vertical and longitudinallyextending surfaces Aof the cooperating upper and lower dies, that theupwardly extending projecting portions of the lower-die-that providebetween them pockets 21-engage the side portion of each nail so as toproperly straighten and position each nail in respect to the back memberof the hanger, and that the top and bottom of each nail is engaged bythe horizontal and curved portions of the die to edect the rest of thedesired corrective bending of the nail or tooth.

Important features of the die construction are the similarly curvedsurfaces 24 and 25 of the dies 2 and 3 respectively. Surface 24 isconvex and surface 25 is concave. If the dies are made straight, withoutthe curve, the back of the hanger to which the nails are fastened willbe sprung out of shape in the opposite direction to the curve of thesedies. That is, the back of the hanger, and consequently the nailsfastened to it, will be curved back in the center toward the hook of thehanger. In order to overcome this difficulty, the dies are made with aslight medially outward curve which has been found -by experiment to bejust enough to counteract the tendency of springing the back of thehanger inwardly from a straight line when the dies come together. Durinthe straightening operation, the frame 18 o? the bacon hanger is held inplace by the fixed retaining Z-bar 26.

In the operation of this straightening machine, the comb hangers areoperated upon, one at a time, by a machine such as shown in the drawingsor by a machine in which the dles are extended into a series in line.Each hanger is paed over die 2 and beneath the upper flange of retainingmember 26, as indicated in Fig. 5. Near their heads or bases, the nailsare engaged by the projections 22 of die A3 and forced into the recesses21 formed by the projecting parts of die 2. The curved surfaces 24 and25 of the dies then function t0 correct a tendency of the frame of theba-4 con hanger to become distorted.

Although but one Specific embodiment of this invention has been hereinshown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be alj tered or omitted without departing fromthe spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Complementary dies for straightening bacon comb hangers havingstraight meeting faces a oaqadeafameaiaiiaagiaemnaa/M from the straight,longitudinally,extendingandfprovided with teeth receiving andstrightening recesses and projections, and havingthe meeting faces atthe opposite side of said medial longitudinal line, plain andlongitudinally curved.

2. In a machine for straightening bacon comb hangers",complementary dieshaving straight meeting faces and teeth-receiving and straighteningrecesses and projections at one side of a medial longitudinal line, andhaving the meeting faces at the opposite side of said mediallongitudinal line plain and longitudinally curved, a retainer for one ofthe dies formed with an overhanging portion to engage over the hangerand project across the joint formed between the dies when broughttogether, means for moving the other die towards and away from thecompanion die, and guide means for directing the movable die in itsmovements.

3. In the straightening of longitudinally spaced forwardly andtransversely extending nails or teeth which are securedto alongitudinally and vertically extending back mem-` ber, the method whichcomprises supporting the forward face of the back member whilesimultaneously engaging the rear portions of the nails laterally tostraighten or align the nails in one direction, and pressing rearportions of the nails between upper and lower, longitudinally andtransversely extending straight surface portions and subjecting theforward portion of the nails between upper and lower pressing surfaceswhich merge from the straight surface into a longitudinally curvedcontour at the outer edge of the pressing surface.

Signed at Kansas City, Kansas, this twenty-eighth day of October, 1929.

DAVID SAMUEL OSTROM.

